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w0m_n's picture

Academia rediscoverd...

At first, when doing the exercise I was a little apprehensive, but in retrospect, I think this alluded to how I'd been socialized as a student to answer questions. As we did more them more often I grew to love it. Responding in questions, rather declaratively, is a useful  tool because I find that it leaves my mind more open to the answers. It's interesting to do these exercises in an academic setting; it's become an interesting foil. In my academic career, both before and during my time at Bryn Mawr, I find that I'm always asked for answers and to prove that I know I'm right. Recently, I've been thinking alot of academia in a meta sense. To me it seems in it's inception, academia sought to ask questions to solve the problems of the world. However, I feel that I've been asked questions in that way that doesn't ask me to think outside the box, but merely to know what answers others have come up with and prove my answers encompass those. However, this practice I feel is a little dated. I think the methods Barry introduces in her book are really innovative to creating critical essays in that they approach it in a new, comprehensive way. They answer questions in a way that account for the human experience, a part of academia that at times is lacking.

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